There was a rare occurrence in the 2022 Winter Festival Poster Contest. Three members of the Helm family from Prince Albert had four members win or place in four categories.
Alannah Helm placed first in the 4 to 5 category, Judah Helm placed first in the 6 to 7 category, Titus Helm placed third in the 8 to 9 category and Annika Helm placed second in the 10 to 11 category.
Mother Rebekah Helm explained that the family spotted the Colouring Contest in the Daily Herald and collected them. They were inspired to build the art around local history after watching the Winter Festival’s video presentation about honourary chair Franklin Carriere on YouTube.
They also saw it as a way to do something as a family.
“We like to be involved with the community and we actually, in the last two years, started doing home school since school was cancelled,” Rebekah said. “This was a way for use to look at local history as well.”
Poster contest organizers could not recall an entire family placing in the top three so often. Rebekah said they were shocked to place in all the categories they did.
“I was very surprised,” she said. “I told them to all do their best work and it would be what they would be.”
Alannah’s first place work focused on dogsledding, while another was based on the trapper jackets. Rebekah said they have some friends who are mushers, which helped provide the inspiration.
“We have some friends that have competed in the Canadian Challenge before so they have got to see the dogs and the sleds,” Rebekah explained. “What they are supposed to be is paw prints in the air, but they kind of ended up looking like fireworks, because she used very colourful colours to do the paw prints.”
The colouring contest was more than just a family activity, however. The family also used it as a way to teach lessons in both art and local history.
“I thought it was a neat opportunity to integrate (the two),” Rebekah said. “I wanted them to practice their artwork and it was a way to incorporate the history, the local history and just kind of a fun event.”
Michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
